


A Picture is Worth 1000 Words

by sidium



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Drabble, F/M, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, Open Relationships, Polyamory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-08
Updated: 2013-07-08
Packaged: 2017-12-18 02:22:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/874570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sidium/pseuds/sidium
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The story of how Tony, Pepper and Steve got together; told in a series of drabbles. Complete.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Picture is Worth 1000 Words

**Author's Note:**

  * For [holliswrites](https://archiveofourown.org/users/holliswrites/gifts).



1\. “Pepper...” 

“Yes?”

“My love, my life, my driving force of beauty and light and all that is good in the world.” 

“What do you want, Tony?” 

“I have a question to ask you.” 

“What do you want?”

“I love you, you know that.”

“I know.”

“And if you’re not cool with this, we’ll forget the whole thing.”

“I could forget it right now.”

“Hold on a second.”

“Okay.”

“What if I... I might’ve. I thought maybe. I don't know. Shit. I don’t know how...”

“Did you break something?”

“No. Hopefully. Not yet.”

“Spit it out.”

“Steve.”

“What about him?”

“You asked what I wanted.”

“Oh.”

\------------

2\. Pepper said ‘no’ when Tony asked if he could use her voice for an AI he was experimenting with.

Pepper said ‘no’ when Tony asked if he could buy an island and start his own country.

Pepper said ‘no’ when Tony asked if he could have a stripper at his birthday party.

Pepper said ‘no’ when Tony asked if he could become new President of the US.

But Pepper said ‘yes’ when Tony asked if he could kiss her.

And she said ‘yes’ when he asked her to stay with him.

And she’ll happily say ‘yes’ to this, too.

\---------------

3\. It’s 8 inches by 12 inches and Tony never saw it coming. 

It’s a drawing that he found on his bed when he finally decided he’d worked enough and missed Pepper enough to go sleep in their bed . It’s a drawing of him, drinking coffee. His hair is sticking up, and his hands and arms completely filthy. He’s speechless for the first time in longer than he can honestly remember. He gently picks the artwork up carefully and goes off in search of the artist. 

Blushing. Lots of blushing. 

And talking. Lots of talking.

And kissing. Lots of kissing.

\--------------

4\. Pepper’s not surprised when she gets back, and Tony’s sitting on the kitchen counter, legs wrapped around Steve in front of him, happily making out, while pancakes burn on the stove-top. 

She’s not surprised when it takes a few minutes for them to even notice that she’s there. 

She definitely not surprised when Steve acts like he’s been caught doing something wrong, and she’s not surprised she has to explain to him that Tony didn’t lie, she’s completely onboard with their relationship. 

She is surprised that when she asked how it finally started, all they’ll say is ‘artwork.’

\---

5\. It’s not serious, when Steve tells Pepper how radiant she looks before she leaves for work. He’s just polite. 

It’s playful teasing when she gives him crap for not knowing how to use the five different remotes in the living room and patiently explains them all to him again. 

It’s not an actual invitation, when Steve jokingly asks Pepper if she wants to jump in the shower with him. It’s just something he says because no one expects him to.

It’s entirely for Tony’s benefit that they get along so well. It makes the whole situation more comfortable for all of them.

Right?

\---------------

6\. Tony would be completely ecstatic. He would be deliriously happy beyond all imagination. He would never ask God for anything ever again and he would say prayers of gratitude every day. 

He would work his ass off to be better for them. He would make sure they understood how much this meant to him. He spends hours thinking of things he would do if Steve and Pepper got together. The absolute perfection.

But it’s wishful dreaming, and he knows it. So, he pushes those thoughts out of his head, because he refuses to push the two of them together.

\--------

7\. It’s different. She’s definitely never had someone draw a picture of her before. 

It’s beautiful. The lines blending together, so careful and skilled. 

It’s obvious. It couldn’t look more like Steve’s handiwork if it had his name on it.

It’s unexpected. Steve’s always drawing Tony, reading, working, drinking, whatever.

It’s a little odd. She’s not sure why it’s a picture of her putting on her shoes. 

It’s very sweet. She loves it and she knows she’ll have it framed by the end of the week.

It’s... 

It’s...

It’s artwork.  
\---

8\. Steve cannot believe what his life has become. 

First, he wakes up in the future. Alone.

Then, he meets his new team, his new family. Tony. Howard’s son. 

Then he moves in with Tony, and somehow falls in love. Despite the fact of Pepper. 

Then he finds out he can have Tony, and not hurt anyone in the process. 

Then, on a leap of faith, he finds out he can have Pepper, too. 

It’s definitely not Peggy. Not by a long shot. And it’s not conventional by any means. 

But it’s his.  
And it’s Tony’s  
And it’s Pepper’s.  
And it’s perfect.

\--------

9\. When she was little, Pepper’s mom always told her to wait. Wait and give your heart to that one perfect boy that would love you forever. 

He’ll open doors for you, pull out chairs for you. 

He’ll make you pancakes in the morning and tell you you’re beautiful even when you damn well know better. 

He’ll cheer you up when you’re depressed and make you feel as loved as you deserve to feel. 

He’ll make you laugh and you’ll never imagine being with anyone else.

She always told Pepper about that perfect boy. 

She never mentioned the possibility of two.

\----------

10\. Sometimes, it’s hard. They can’t always be together, and Steve had to learn how to Skype and Tony gets drunk and texts them until they call him and calm him down. Sometimes they go weeks without seeing one another. Sometimes they fight. They always make up.

It’s hard when they come back from a mission, hurt and aching and Pepper’s just glad to see them alive, and she regrets, just for a second, loving, not one, but two super-heroes.

But sometimes, it’s really easy. When they wake up together, tangled up, and they watch each other sleep.


End file.
